


Take a Break

by sighmonk



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Adderall Abuse, Alternate Universe - College/University, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Happy Ending, Human Disaster Alexander Hamilton, Lams - Freeform, M/M, Sleep Deprivation, Workaholic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 04:04:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14686086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sighmonk/pseuds/sighmonk
Summary: Alexander Hamilton is a workaholic, and everyone knows this. It has its perks, of course, but after not sleeping for roughly eighty-one hours, the cons are easily starting to outweigh the pros. Of course, Alex continues working.John is there to make sure he takes a break and get some sleep.





	Take a Break

It was well-known that Alexander was a workaholic, and so well-known was said information that even complete strangers had taken an interest in him. Not only his fiction, but also his poetry and essays made him rather popular on campus, and he gained somewhat of a following once he started writing for the university's newspaper,  _The Federalist_   _Paper._

But that meant he only worked himself harder.

After getting back from his classes every day, Alex would toss his bag to the floor by the desk in his apartment-styled dorm, tie his hair back, and get to work on that week's essay. Typically, it was something politically related, which made him both well-liked and quite hated, but he gave little mind: he merely wanted to write about what he thought he needed to, and he cared little of what others would think about him as a result. Writing the perfect essay or political statement, however, he was much more attune to, and often neglected his health in order to complete it.

It was a borderline obsession at this point, which was even worse considering that he still had papers to do for  _both_ of his majors and was still trying to finish the draft of a novel he would be submitting for review in under a month. 

To be blunt, the man was overworked.

And the minute John stepped into the dorm, he knew that was the case.

Walking over to his room, he slung his bag onto his bed before slowly making his way over to Alex's room, peering into the room through slightly-open door. It was already two in the morning - John had just gotten back from working on a project with James Madison, who was too sick to leave his dorm at present - and John couldn't help but take note of the dark circles under Alex's eyes. Sure, Alex nearly always had dark circles under his eyes, but illuminated by the bright glow of his laptop, they were more pronounced, deeper, exhaustion aging the fiery man in a way that looked almost painful. 

"Alex," John said softly, pushing the door open with a light creak.

Jumping at the sudden intrusion, the tired young man looked up from his screen with confusion on his face, settling into a comfortable grin when he realized who it was. "Oh, John," he said, voice strained. "Sorry, I was busy. What's up?"

Walking forward, John crossed his arms over his chest, looking down at the seated man. There were three different coffee cups piled up on the desk, a banana peel, and a bottle of Adderall that caused John to let out a sigh. He reached forward, wrapping his long fingers around the little bottle before rattling it gently, grimacing when he heard only a few pills shake around in the bottle. He shot a look at Alex, who avoided his gaze at all costs, a nervous grin on his lips.

"Alexander, how long have you been up?" John asked, gripping the bottle tighter. 

A chuckle escaped the smaller man's lips. "If I said three days and nine hours, how mad would you be?" Alex asked, wringing his hands together and forcing himself to meet his the piercing gaze of John Laurens. 

John couldn't help but sigh, raising his free hand to his face and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Alex..."

This wasn't the first time this had happened. More than once, John had seen Alex on one of his workaholic streaks, popping Adderall pills to keep him from having to sleep as he rode his energy like a wave, using his sleepless nights to write more than he had once thought possible. When John first found out about this, he'd flipped: he was worried for his friend, after all. And once they started dating - which had been a long time coming - they had had a long talk about Alex's use of pills and his insatiable need to write despite his biological need for sleep. They'd come to an agreement that Alex would cut back on his Adderall usage, especially since the pills weren't prescribed to him, and that he'd try to sleep more, but things were a process.

Nothing would be fixed overnight.

Setting the pills back down on the desk, John sunk down to his a knee so that he was face-to-face with the exhausted young man, eyebrows knitted together in concern. He reached forward, lacing his freckled hands into Alex's and squeezing gently, a small smile on his face. "Alexander," he began.

"You're mad, huh?" Alex asked, sighing as he spoke.

"A little, but worried more than anything," John replied, concern in his voice. "I know you have to get your essay for  _The Federalist Papers_ done soon, but nothing comes before your health. You have three more days anyways, Alexander." He gaze a reassuring squeeze. "Please, take a break."

Alex looked over to his laptop, his eyes giving away how he was considering the offer. Letting out a sigh, he returned to the keyboard, saved his essay, and shut the small screen with a  _click_. Darkness suddenly enveloped the both of them, which seemed to suddenly remind the exhausted man's body just how tired he really was. Almost instantly, his eyes shut, and he leaned himself onto John's shoulder, engulfing him in a tight hug.

"I'm so tired, John," Alex said, voice weak.

John hummed quietly, rubbing his hand in reassuring circles along shorter man's back. "I know, I know," he whispered. "Let's get you to bed, okay? My room tonight - no laptop temptations. Deal?"

Without saying a word, Alex nodded slowly, standing up with support from John. Shutting the door as they left his room, they were soon back in John's room, and if Alex were more awake, he would have made some remark about how Lee, John's turtle, looked like he was smirking at them, as he always did, but the man was crashing, and hard. Almost instantly, he flung himself onto the plain grey comforter oh his boyfriend's bed, letting out a groan as his face hit the bag that had been thrown there earlier. 

"You need to take your clothes off, stupid," John teased, helping him sit up. He easily slid the jacket from his shoulders and made quick work of the green button-down he wore, tossing them both onto the floor carelessly while Alex hardly moved. "Take your pants off. You always get pissy when you sleep in jeans."

"It's 'cuz jeans always feel tighter at night," Alex muttered, his voice becoming slurred with sleep.

John nodded, turning to his closet. "I know. You always complain. Here," he said, tossing a pair of pajama pants at the man. "Put these on. I'm going to brush my teeth."

By the time John returned to his room, Alex was snuggled up under the covers, his face turned towards the wall. Smiling gently, John turned off the lights and made his way to the bed, shimmying out of his jeans before sliding under the covers as well, deciding to leave his sweater on. He inched closer to Alexander, wrapping his freckled arms around the man and pulling him close, pressing a soft kiss to the back of his neck.

"Thank you," John whispered.

A strained chuckle sounded from the other man. "What for? I should be thankin' you."

"Thank you for taking a break."

"I didn't wanna."

"But you did," John said, kissing his neck again. "I'm proud you did. But I'm worried about your... pill use."

Alex shifted uncomfortably, twisting himself around so that he was now facing John. His eyes were dull, dark circles clear even in the dark of the room, and his dark tresses fell carelessly in his face. "I got carried away. I'm gettin' better. I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's okay, Alexander," John purred. "I hate seeing you so overworked."

"That's just part of the business," Alex replied, smiling gently.

John let out a snort. "Yeah, well, so is sleeping, okay?" When Alex nodded, he pressed a kiss to his forehead, pulling the man closer. "Good. Love you, Alexander."

"Mhm, love you too."

With that being said, Alex was asleep almost instantly, curling in on John within a matter of minutes. And watching the peacefulness that overtook the usually restless man was a sight to behold, especially for John, who would never get used to the transformation that overtook the man when he fell asleep. It was beautiful - no, Alexander Hamilton was beautiful - and John couldn't help but smile as he gazed at the sleeping man.

It wasn't long before he too fell asleep, a happiness in his heart that he hoped never went away.

**Author's Note:**

> It's two in the morning, I'm tired, and really just wanted to write this. I think Alexander would be getting a dual major in political science and English literature, while John would be getting a degree in marine biology while minoring in political science (he's always been interested in the stuff). 
> 
> Anyways, I'm really tired. Enjoy some lams.


End file.
